The Luna's Crown

Chapter 3: The Alpha's Secret

Dawn came too quickly. I hadn't slept, too wired from everything that had happened. My wolf paced inside me, stronger with each passing hour as the wolfsbane left my system.

A knock at the door made me jump. "It's me," Wyatt's voice called.

I opened it to find him holding two bags of supplies and looking like he hadn't slept either. His dark hair was messier than yesterday, and there were shadows under his eyes.

"Breakfast," he said, setting the bags on the table. "And clothes that actually fit."

I looked down at my torn, dirty clothes from yesterday. "How did you know my size?"

"I'm good at observing." He pulled out fresh bread, eggs, and fruit. "Eat. You need strength for what comes next."

"Which is?"

"Training. You need to learn to control your power before it controls you." He started preparing food with practiced ease. "Lunar Wolves who can't control their abilities go mad."

"Comforting."

"I don't sugarcoat things." He cracked eggs into a pan. "That's what got you into this mess—people lying to protect you. I won't do that."

I sat at the table, watching him cook. He moved with the confidence of someone used to taking care of himself. "How long have you been an Alpha?"

"Three years. Took over when my father died."

"I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Don't be. He was a cruel man. The pack is better without him."

"You killed him?"

He turned, spatula in hand, his golden eyes steady. "Yes."

I should have been scared. Instead, I found myself leaning forward. "Why?"

"He was going to sell my sister to another pack. She was thirteen." His jaw tightened. "So I challenged him. Won. And changed everything."

"Your sister... is she okay?"

"She's safe. Happy. Mated to a good man who treats her like a queen." He plated the eggs and set them in front of me. "No one in my pack forces anyone to do anything against their will."

"Unlike mine," I said bitterly.

"Former pack," he corrected. "You're not theirs anymore."

I ate in silence for a moment, surprised by how hungry I was. "Why do you really want me? And don't say it's because we're mates. There's more."

He sat across from me, his expression serious. "You're right. There's a war coming."

"Between packs?"

"Between species. Werewolves aren't the only supernatural beings in this world, Charlotte. And some of them want us gone."

My fork froze halfway to my mouth. "What do you mean?"

"Vampires. Witches. Fae. They all exist, hidden from human eyes just like we are. And there's a group forming—a coalition that believes werewolves have gotten too powerful, too numerous."

"That's insane."

"Is it? We control vast territories. Our packs grow stronger each generation. To them, we're a threat." He leaned back. "Three packs have already been destroyed. Completely wiped out. The Council of Alphas refuses to admit there's a pattern, but I know better."

"And you think I can help?"

"A Lunar Wolf can command any werewolf. Unite packs that have been enemies for centuries. You could build an army with a single howl." His eyes gleamed. "You're not just powerful, Charlotte. You're the weapon that could save our entire species."

"Or destroy it," I said quietly.

"That too."

The honesty was refreshing and terrifying. "So you want to use me as a weapon."

"I want to teach you to use yourself as a weapon. There's a difference." He stood. "Get dressed. We start now."

I changed into the clothes he'd brought—fitted black training clothes that moved easily. When I came out, he was standing by the door, his own clothes changed to something similar.

We walked deep into the forest, far from any trails. The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting everything in gold and green.

"First lesson," he said, stopping in a clearing. "Shift."

"I don't know if I can control it yet—"

"Try."

I closed my eyes, reaching for that warm presence inside me. My wolf came eagerly, and the shift was smoother than last night. In seconds, I stood on four legs, white fur gleaming in the sunlight.

"Beautiful," Wyatt breathed, and something in his voice made my wolf preen.

He shifted too, and I stepped back. His wolf was massive—pure black with those same golden eyes. He was twice the size of a normal Alpha, all muscle and deadly grace.

Can you hear me? His voice in my mind was deeper, richer than his human voice.

Yes.

Good. Lunar Wolves can mind-link with any wolf, not just pack members. Try to command me.

Command you?

Tell me to do something. Use your Alpha voice.

I'd never had an Alpha voice. I'd barely had a voice at all in my old pack. But something inside me stirred, ancient and powerful.

Bow, I said, and power laced through the word.

To my shock, Wyatt's massive wolf immediately lowered himself, belly nearly touching the ground.

Impressive, he said, standing back up. But that's just the beginning.

We trained for hours. He taught me to fight, really fight, not the play fighting I'd seen in my old pack. He was brutal, knocking me down over and over until I learned to use my smaller size as an advantage.

"You're fast," he said after shifting back, both of us breathing hard. "Faster than any wolf I've seen. Use it."

I shifted back too, immediately grabbing the spare clothes I'd left by a tree. "You're a harsh teacher."

"The vampires won't go easy on you because you're new to this." He moved closer, and I caught his scent—pine and smoke and something wild that made my wolf stir. "Neither will other packs when they learn what you are."

"When, not if?"

"Secrets this big don't stay hidden." He was close enough now that I had to tilt my head back to look at him. "Your old pack will figure it out when the wolfsbane fully leaves your system. Your scent will change. You'll smell like what you are—power incarnate."

"And they'll want me back."

"Or want you dead." His hand came up, fingers ghosting along my jaw. "But they'll have to go through me first."

"I don't need protection."

"No," he agreed. "But you might want it anyway."

The air between us crackled with tension. My wolf pushed forward, wanting to be closer to him, but I stepped back.

"I can't," I said. "Not yet. Maybe not ever."

He dropped his hand, respecting the boundary. "I can wait."

"What if I never want this? The mate bond?"

"Then I'll respect that. But I won't stop protecting you. You're too important."

"To the war effort."

"To me," he corrected. "War or no war, you matter to me."

We walked back toward the cabin in comfortable silence. But as we approached, Wyatt suddenly stopped, his entire body going rigid.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Someone's been here." He scented the air, a growl building in his chest. "Multiple someones."

Fresh tire tracks marked the dirt road leading to the cabin. The door stood open, though I knew I'd locked it.

Wyatt went in first, checking every corner. On the table sat a single white envelope with my name written in elegant script.

I opened it with shaking hands.

Charlotte,

We know what you are. We know you've awakened. Return to Blue Moon Pack immediately, or we'll declare you rogue and hunt you down. You have 24 hours.

Your parents are very worried about you.

– Alpha Marcus

Alpha Marcus. Wyatt's father. My former Alpha.

"They know," I whispered.

Wyatt took the letter, reading it quickly. "They're scared. Good."

"They'll come for me."

"Let them try." His eyes flashed gold. "You're under Shadow Ridge protection now."

"I haven't agreed to join your pack."

"No, but you're my mate. That gives you automatic protection whether you accept the bond or not." He pulled out his phone. "I'm calling in my Beta and best fighters."

"Wyatt, I don't want to start a war."

He paused, looking at me with an expression I couldn't read. "The war already started the day they suppressed your wolf. This is just the next battle."

"There has to be another way."

"There is." He put his phone away. "You could go back. Let them suppress you again. Mate with my namesake. Live a half-life."

"You know I won't do that."

"Then we fight." He moved to the window, scanning the forest. "But first, we need to get you somewhere safer. Pack your things."

I grabbed the few belongings I had, my mind racing. In 24 hours, I'd gone from rejected omega to coveted Lunar Wolf. From worthless to wanted.

But wanted for what? My power? My potential as a weapon?

As I zipped my bag, Wyatt's hand covered mine.

"I know what you're thinking," he said quietly. "That everyone wants to use you. And maybe that's true. But I want you to know something."

"What?"

"Yesterday, before I knew you were a Lunar Wolf, when you were just a crying girl in the forest, I already wanted to protect you. The mate bond hit before I knew what you were."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

He lifted his shirt, revealing a tattoo over his heart. It was new, the skin still slightly red around it. A white wolf howling at a crescent moon, with yesterday's date underneath.

"I got this last night," he said. "After I left you. Before your first full shift. I knew you were mine, and I wanted to mark it permanently."

My fingers traced the ink without thinking, feeling his sharp intake of breath. "This is insane."

"Yes," he agreed. "But it's also real."

A howl echoed in the distance. Then another. And another.

"They're coming," Wyatt said, pulling his shirt down. "Blue Moon Pack is coming early."

My wolf snarled inside me, ready to fight.

"Charlotte," Wyatt said urgently. "Whatever happens next, remember—you're stronger than you know."

Through the window, I could see them. Dozens of wolves emerging from the tree line. And at the front, a familiar brown wolf.

My former mate. Coming to claim what he'd thrown away.